EntertainmentMusic

Lydia Kakabadse provides an ethereal listening experience with her album “The Phantom Listeners”

UntitledBritish born composer Lydia Kakabadse, grew up in a quiet market town in Cheshire, and has been composing music since the young age of thirteen. Working as a solicitor in previous years, Lydia has a talent for writing both chamber and choral music and her works include songs, string quartets, musical dramas, a cantata, song cycles for unaccompanied male vocal choir and a concert Requiem Mass. Drawing inspiration from a diverse range of influences such as Middle Eastern Music, mythology, nineteenth century poets, Latin Literature and talent for dancing, Lydia has concocted a potent five-piece album which is both majestic and chimerical. When listening, one can hear the distinct allusion to Middle Eastern music, which is brilliantly interwoven within the classical themes.

Lydia manages to incorporate aspects of her fascinating family history within her music.  Due to her multi-national background (Greek/Austrian mother and Russian/Georgian father) Lydia was brought up within the Greek and Russian Orthodox faith, from where she drew inspiration in such works as her string quartet Cantus Planus, song cycle Cantica Sacra and also a choral piece that is still being worked on. Lydia’s heritage on her father’s side is extremely fascinating, as her paternal grandfather was deputy prime minister of Georgia from 1921 – 1933 and shortly afterwards publicly denounced Stalin.

 

One of the truly elegant singles from the album Russian Tableaux is a captivating, bitter-sweet tribute to the landscape, history and culture of Russia. For a taste of this beautiful album you can listen to Russian Tableaux available here:

https://soundcloud.com/quitegreatpr/lydia-kakabadse-russian-tableaux-i-mother-volg

Lydia’s album – “The Phantom Listeners, Arabian Rhapsody Suite, The Mermaid” – which was released in 2011, gravitates towards an ethereal experience for the listener, providing stimuli for subliminal visuals. The Latin text within The Phantom Listeners and the (English) text in The Mermaid were both written by Lydia, the first inspired by Walter de la Mare’s poem “The Listeners” and the latter by Greek mythology. The second track on the album – “Arabian Rhapsody Suite” was partly written whilst Lydia was undergoing breast cancer treatment in 2008, and an article was published shortly afterwards in the Eastern Daily Press depicting how much her composing helped her through the treatment. The third track – “The Song of the Shirt”, Lydia wrote when she was just fifteen!

Lydia has received praise for her work from a huge variety of listeners:

Her music is so instantly appealing” – Music Web International

 

“Well written, melodic and effective – characteristics of all of Kakabadse’s music” – Music web International

 

Arabian Rhapsody Suite – “its rhythms and phrasing evoked the exotic sounds of Marrakesh” (Eastern Daily Press)

 Whilst mastering counterpoint perfectly, she makes wonderful use of her material by means of a high quality structure giving a sense of the new and vibrant and captivating the listener,” (Tamvakos – Jazz & Tzaz)

Listing Diana Moran amongst many others as fans of her music, Lydia can also add many prestigious venues that have played host to live performances of her music, such as Ely Cathedral, St. John’s Smith Square London, Grosvenor House London, Norwich Cathedral – “Composer is present to hear her work played to perfection” (EDP) – and the Chapel of Gonville & Caius College Cambridge, where her choral work Cantica Sacra was premiered in Feb 2014 by the Choir of Gonville & Caius College.

 

You can find out more about Lydia from her website:

www.lydiakakabadse.com

Related Articles

Check Also
Close
Back to top button